Earth or Heaven
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| (Found here) |
There are others who have been driven to God through the knowledge of their own great needs. The natural tendency of their minds is to turn inward, not outward. They have been driven to look outward and upward by what they have found within.
Their knowledge of themselves, of the strength of natural inclination, of their own temperament, and of the power and persistency of habit deepens their sense of hopelessness and shows them that they have no power of themselves to help themselves, and only when, like the woman in the Gospel, they have ‘suffered many things from many physicians . . . and were nothing the better, but rather worse,’ they are driven at last to God.
‘If there had anywhere’
If there had anywhere appeared in space
Another place of refuge, where to flee,
Our hearts had taken refuge in that place,
And not with Thee.
For we against creation’s bars had beat
Like prisoned eagles, through great worlds had sought
Though but a foot of ground to plant our feet,
Where Thou wert not.
And only when we found in earth and air,
In heaven or hell, that such might nowhere be—
That we could not flee from Thee anywhere,
We fled to Thee.
—Richard Chenevix Trench
Self-knowledge apart from God can indeed lead only to despair. For he who has sunk to earth knows well he can find no lever on earth or within himself to raise himself. How can he? How can anything within him raise him above himself? How can anything on earth raise him above the earth? Like the piece of silver in the parable, that has fallen to the earth, he needs the hand of Another to raise him.
Self-knowledge apart from God can indeed lead only to despair. For he who has sunk to earth knows well he can find no lever on earth or within himself to raise himself. How can he? How can anything within him raise him above himself? How can anything on earth raise him above the earth? Like the piece of silver in the parable, that has fallen to the earth, he needs the hand of Another to raise him.
From one or the other, therefore, of these two starting points, the religious life of most men will be found to begin: from the knowledge of God or the knowledge of self.
But although they may begin from either of these two poles — earth or Heaven — the end must be the same. From the greatness and holiness of God, one will learn the greatness of the destiny of man, to whom He has condescended to reveal Himself. The other, from the greatness of his own needs, will learn the greatness and the love of God, who delivers him. For, as it has been well said, ‘He who believes humanity requires no higher influence than its own will see in Christ no more than a man like himself; he who thinks man’s only need is an example will look upon Christ as an ideal man; he who thinks man only needs virtue will look upon Him as a great moral teacher. But he who feels that the need of his nature is something more than nature can supply will seek for the supernatural in Christ.’”
~Basil Maturin
But although they may begin from either of these two poles — earth or Heaven — the end must be the same. From the greatness and holiness of God, one will learn the greatness of the destiny of man, to whom He has condescended to reveal Himself. The other, from the greatness of his own needs, will learn the greatness and the love of God, who delivers him. For, as it has been well said, ‘He who believes humanity requires no higher influence than its own will see in Christ no more than a man like himself; he who thinks man’s only need is an example will look upon Christ as an ideal man; he who thinks man only needs virtue will look upon Him as a great moral teacher. But he who feels that the need of his nature is something more than nature can supply will seek for the supernatural in Christ.’”
~Basil Maturin
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